Austberg
Austberg Austberg fancies itself “The Jewel of the Squall Coast”, a bustling, prosperous, and importantly, quite large port city on the western coast of the continent, facing out to the Midden Sea and all the bounty and wonder that it has to offer. Austberg functions as an independent city-state, governed by a council of local lords, elevated merchants, military representatives, and clerics of various religions popular in the city. There are a total of 27 councilors, and they meet largely in secret, approximately every other week to decide upon public works projects and matters of city governance. With such a diverse group, and so many things to decide which may or may not work against the personal interest of any specific councilor, the wheels turn quite slowly. The Council is comprised of the following at this time: Grand Patrician, Lord Solomon Banuillus, Head of State in Austberg. Lord of the Salt Ward, Borrego Klyme- basically a small time governor and magistrate. Lord of the Brick Ward, Edgard Fast- basically a small time governor and magistrate. Baron Sheif, a notable landowner of large quantities of farmland surrounding the city. Baron Morrow, another landowner. Commander Otto Bessa- Head of the City Watch Captain Rewan Gerens- Head of the Patrician Guard High Seer Arskan Volodriat- Dragonborn Sorcerer, advisor to the Grand Patrician High Priest Yodum Jetu- Human Priest of Amaunator, advisor to the Grand Patrician Hon. Faryndil Ardhan, Half-elf, a powerful and well-known wine merchant Reeve Heppness Smirl, Gnomish judge and magistrate Hon. Afriel Pollard, Human, a well-respected merchant and breeder of livestock Sir Anselm of Augsgreen, Human knight, functioning as a representative of the courts High Priest Ruepest Thomzon, Human priest of Helm Hon. Bastion Thurman, Human, a horsebreeder, horses popular with city watch Hon. Mul Sonith, Human, a merchant of spices and seasonings Harbormaster Guust Zephyr, Halfling, one of two harbormasters in Austberg Harbormaster Sturm Richter, Human, the other harbormaster (only one harbormaster attends any given council meeting, though the other may vote in absentia) Lady Priestess Thryma Vohn, Elf, a priestess of Umberlee Mdm. Seema Nave, Human, a merchant of fine textiles and seamstress extraordinaire High Alchemist Ilandra Holm, Human, court alchemist, advisor to the Grand Patrician Matron Priestess Brynul Rodrifa, Human, high ranking priestess of Lliira Mdm. Jacinda Crissia, Half-elf, merchant of legal services, head of the Lawyer’s Guild Mdm. Oranis Etumal, Human, a physicker and merchant of healthful medicines Priestess Linwal Suramine, Elf, priestess of Waukeen Mdm. Egia Prauda, Half-elf, the proprietor of several well-regarded local inns. Mdm. Heppni Zorta, Human, a merchant of gems and precious metals, and skilled gemcutter Austberg is a city with few peers on the continent (think almost Waterdeep), over 100,000 souls call this massive city home, and nearly a million others live in the numerous smaller cities and towns surrounding it for leagues down every boulevard away from the city proper. There are wonders to be seen here, the Great Patrician Palace dominates the center of the city, and boasts fountains and sprawling botanical gardens. The almost daily fog that rolls in from the sea nourishes the plants and they grow vigorously. Strong conifer trees and elegant rhododendrons line the cobbled boulevards of the city center and the trade districts, and statues of the gods adorn pillars in neighborhood squares and plazas. In the Justice Quarter, civil and criminal cases are made and adjudicated, and the Highcourt hears only the most important. The bailiff of the Highcourt is as famous as the building itself. He is an Aasimar paladin of Helm, Ceartas Hynadon (not his real name, but one he was inspired to take). “The Bailiff” as he is often referred to, is only exceedingly rarely seen outside of the Highcourt, and never without his brilliant silver-shining plate mail armor and maul, which stands over 5 feet tall upright and the head is emblazoned with a blue-eyed gauntlet of Helm. According to popular rumor, The Bailiff maintains his private quarters in the basement of the Highcourt, where he is thought to lead an ascetic lifestyle, sleeping on a bed of stone with a thin woolen blanket. His only care is for justice to be wrought, to hear the common folk tell the story. Some parents even use The Bailiff to frighten children who have done something naughty “Oh, boy, I’ll take ye straight to The Bailiff if ye don’t take that trinket back where’er ye knicked it from! He’ll smack ye right upside the head wi’ that great hammer o his!” Of course, as in any great city, as wonderous as it may be, there are the rich as well as the poor, and the poor parts of Austberg are poor indeed. One would be wise to keep a hand on your coin purse, or your sword, in the northern docks, an area dotted all over with seedy taverns, famous among the heavy drinking class for cheap liquor and dark taprooms. A few of these number among favorite haunts for recently disembarked sailors, and shanghaiers prowl the streets looking for an easy mark and a quick coin. In the northeast corner of the city, in a relatively idyllic, almost parklike setting, sits a massive colorful tower, without an apparent door, though it does boast many windows and balconies. It still seems too small to house the number of people who come and go past the various port holes and linger on the balconies, fiddling with strange brass instruments. In fact, it is too small. This tower itself is merely a hub, a collection of portals and teleportation circles that exists to ease the travel of members of the Invisible College, a university of the arcane. The balconies play host to devices that track the stars, the weather, ambient noise levels in the city, and more obscure things beside. There is no typical age for a student of the Invisible college, some enter as children, others do not realize their magical potential until already near middle age, but they all pass through here to go from one place to another. The actual classrooms and dormitories, etc, are all hidden away in secret places, in nondescript buildings long thought to have been abandoned, or rooms carved into to very stone of a mountainside. Folk are aware of the wizards, and some are distrusting, but the prevailing attitude seems to dictate that as long as the wizards mind their own business and don’t blow anything up, the populace are more than happy to generally leave them to their devices, if not pretend they don’t exist entirely. In the southwest, relatively near the docks, one will find “The Short District”, in the early days of Austberg, this area existed outside the borders of the city, and was inhabited by waves of gnomish and Halfling refugees from far inland. They settled and raised families, eventually making something like a city unto themselves, with everything built to appropriate gnomish or Halfling height. Eventually, as the folk established themselves and opened businesses, they slowly became incorporated into the city proper, and eventually comfortably well-within the city walls. The taller races don’t really have much to do here, as it’s difficult to patronize a business when you can barely fit in the door, the small folk are generally friendly and amenable and willing to fetch any goods and bring them out. On the borders of the The Short, some gnomes and halflings have opened shops (and famously, Halfling restaurants) which cater to the larger of stature, with human/elf sized doors and décor. The docks themselves are a constant bustle of activity, with goods being loaded, unloaded, customs inspections, and a stream of vessels coming and going at all hours, aided by massive alchemical lamps along the piers that cast the docks at night with an otherworldly, pale-blue glow, porters and sailors shout directions and confirmations to each other, often with steam rising from their mouths, whether from the heat of their bodies or the foulness of their language is hard to say. Smaller and medium vessels easily find places at the pier, even if they have to wait a little while for a berth. The truly massive vessels anchor out in the deepest parts of the bay and send shuttle craft to collect or unload goods. The truly awe-inspiring sight of the bay is the dragon turtle who lives in it. He is named Petrichoronzon, and he keeps a bargain with the city. Every month, the government of the city supplies the great turtle with a chest of gold and a chest of gems, which must weigh as much as a man (approx. two hundred pounds of gold and gems, at least one third of the “tithe” must consist of gems). In return, he protects the harbor from the invasion of pirates, or naval armies who would do the city harm. Relatively few people are aware of the specifics of the deal with the turtle, but residents and tourists flock to the docks on what has colloquially become known as “feeding day”, hoping to get a look at the massive creature that inhabits the bay. He does occasionally surface at other times, but this is difficult to predict. It has become a sort of folk belief among the citizens that it is good luck to see the dragon turtle, excepting feeding day because it always appears on feeding day. As a result of Petrichoronzon’s efforts, the floor of the bay is home to a number of sunken vessels, some belonging to pirates or thieves, and others to nations that once attempted to invade Austberg. The bay itself is quite large, and natural protection from the worst of the ocean storms is provided by large stone ridges that reach out from the shore and nearly encircle the bay, leaving a passage with just barely enough room for two ships to pass by each other. Pilots are available for hire, and they make the exceedingly difficult maneuver look simple and shout to their compatriots onboard the other vessel. Any helmsman used to the open sea would have a hard time maintaining such tight tolerances. Austberg, being as large and economically important, has become quite cosmopolitan in the composition of its citizenry. As with many of these hectic cities, they are primarily human, though Austberg also boasts sizeable populations of elves, half elves, gnomes, and halflings, and while it may be uncommon, it is not especially remarkable to see Aasimar, Kenku, Tieflings, or even Genasi and Tabaxi walking the bustling avenues or haggling with a merchant. The Great Bazaar is the legendary trading grounds in Austberg, located approximately a half mile inland (east) from the Patrician Palace grounds, it is in a massive, squat building, shaped like a hexagon, with a large domed roof. People mill about the plaza in which the Bazaar is located, talking, making plans, buying and selling. Beggars squat against the walls, asking for relief from their impoverished state. Six fountains decorate the brick pavements, one along each side of the building, set about halfway between the wall and the borders of the plaza. Dogs casually stroll among the citizenry and drink from the fountains and chase each other and the local children. Inside the Bazaar, it is hectic to say the least. It is dimly lit, mostly with alchemical lamps that cast a yellowish hue against products and salespersons. The aisles are a crowded maze of everything imaginable, gems, art, liquor, food, candles, rugs, spices, sweets, with seemingly no rhyme or reason to the location of any given vendor, why can’t they just put all of one type of thing in one place? In reality, this is planned out carefully by the managers of the Bazaar, to prevent for example, two spice sellers being too close together and getting aggressive with each other. A stall in the Bazaar is a great achievement for a merchant, it can take years on a waiting list (maybe a little less with some well-placed bribes) to be given a stall, and it can be taken away again after that, though most aren’t, and there is a brisk trade in selling one’s own stall for a day or two at a time, if the regular occupant won’t be to the Bazaar that day. While it does technically fall under the jurisdiction of the City Watch, the Bazaar also has a private security force of about 60 people, who patrol in pairs throughout the day carrying short swords and bucklers, with the silhouette of a large red bird emblazoned on their grey tunics (which has led to them being given a nickname “The Hawks”). Due to the poor lighting, constant noise, and confusing layout of stalls and vendors, the Bazaar is famous for pickpockets. It’s not unusual to see someone carrying their purse held tightly to their chest. It’s also not unusual for someone who doesn’t to go to make a purchase and find that their bag is either missing or empty, and they suddenly recall that young teenager who bumped into them while running down an aisle. The Hawks try to do what they can, but the pickpockets spent all day exploring this building, and some know the routes better than the guards. And a pickpocket on the run doesn’t hesitate to burst through a carpet stall, a spice stall, and a clothing stall in order to get to the closest exit.